Best Western Plus LA Mid-Town Hotel — Hotel in Los Angeles

This hotel ruined our entire trip. I asked 3 separate times if my card would be charged upon check in or check out, and was assured check out each time. Lo and behold after check in the funds were removed from my account. Ok, I've worked in hotels before (specifically Best Western) so I went to the front desk to ask that they remove my card from their billing system until check out and said they could scan my card to re enter upon check out. They tell me that's against company policy, so I ask if I would still be able to cancel my remaining nights (at this point all of our funds are tied up with the hotel, but I'm getting paid the day we check out) and this is where it really went down hill fast. Upon hearing this, the manager jumped in to tell me that if I cancel, I'll need to pay more first night as I was "getting a special rate for staying so many nights". No, I had a discount because I used to work for a BW and a friend had offered me a friend's and family discount as available on their internal website. So the manager wanted to charge me extra without even knowing what my rate was, then when he thought I was a BW employee his attitude completely changed. He started berating me in the lobby because there was no employee rate voucher: "You should know better and your general manager should know better." Again, not an employee, not an employee rate. If there was a required voucher and it was this important, why didn't they request it upon check in the night before? I worked in hospitality for years and have stayed in hotels, mostly BW's, across the country and I have never been so frustrated and even embarrassed by a hotel employee, let alone a manager.

I brought my husband to LA as a fun get away before our baby arrives in a few months, instead we were treated badly by this hotel staff and unable to enjoy our trip to the fullest due to what I feel was deceit and greed. If what I experienced was how this manager treats guests that he thinks work for BW, I cringe to think of how he treats his in house staff.

I will be reaching out to corporate about this stay and I will update this review with...

They seem to be doing their best with what they have here. The room was pretty small and had a view of a brick wall, but was very clean, (just a bit musty at first but running the A/C cleared it up quickly). The shower was lukewarm at best but when I called the front desk they said maintenance had left for the evening so I should try again in the AM. After running the sink it was a little better, but still not great. The neighborhood is borderline, with some patches feeling pretty sketchy, but they had security in the garage in the evenings. It was safe enough walking during daylight but I wouldn't have wanted to at night. The cafes and restaurants we visited were all very nice once inside. The front desk, housekeeping, and garage security were all very friendly. Breakfast was well stocked and I noticed they had soymilk and gluten free items. Parking is extremely limited, but they take measures to try and accomodate as many guests as possible. The security guard doubles as a valet when the garage fills up and he will either put you in their back lot or double park cars in the garage. This seems a hassle but he is really on top of moving cars to let people out as soon as you come down to thw garage. It did not end up being a problem for us. Ultimately they are trying to park as many people as they can, they just have a lack of real estate. Try to get there early then walk to one of the many nearby restaurants, cafes or boba shops, or use the metroline that is about a 3-5 minute walk away and easy to figure out. It did seem over priced for what we got, but i think being a 10 min drive to Universal and walking distance to many good restaurants is what they are charging for. Ironically, because we didn't want to move our car after scoring a garage spot, it still took us a while to get to Universal due to using the metro. Metro fare was cheaper than the parking lot at Universal though. Overall, not my favorite Best Western experience, but it does seem...

This hotel has a moldy smell and the cleanliness is not up to expectation. On the first night, we discovered a HUGE cockroach crawling around our stuff in the bathroom. The cockroach is longer and wider than those new Mazda key fobs!!!! How awful! When I call the front desk and tell them about my situation, the first reaction of the front desk staff was "Oh, was that a big cockroach or a small cockroach?" DOES IT MATTER?! I paid for the room, having any cockroaches is not acceptable! The front desk staff reacted like this is normal for the hotel and she asked me what do I want from her. I demanded to switch room and the lot attendant Stanley came up to help us with the move. Stanley was very nice and he is probably the only good staff in the hotel at that time. The next day I saw the general manager of the hotel, Abdul El-Mekhgiange. I told him what happened and he said he felt sorry for the incident last night. I told him the hotel should compensate me for my first night's stay. He hesitated and said, because I booked the room through Agoda, this might be difficult. He needs to get Agoda's permission to credit me back. He is just giving me excuses. If he really cares about his customers, he will always find a way to compensate me. He promised to look into this but now, after a month, I don't see any credit on my VIsa and I heard nothing from them. Second, the mattress in the room I switched into, carries a weird fishy smell. It wasn't obvious the first night and it gets more and more disgusting as time progresses. I stayed there for 4 nights and I can't even sleep on the last night. I mentioned to the front desk staff when I checked out and obviously they don't care. My LA trip was fully packed so I prepaid for my stay before I get there and turns out with the price, I should just add a little bit more stay in other high end hotels. AVOID THIS HOTEL IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A PEACE OF MIND...